This drive is often in the form of a drive drum or drive roller in combination with a return drum or return roller.
The conveyor belt is a long closed loop as it was that is affixed around the two aforementioned drums so that two tracks are formed in this way: a top track on which the product to be transported is laid and a bottom track that is the returning conveyor belt.
The conveyor belt moves in the housing by being driven by the drive drum.
The space between the two tracks in which both drums are located will be designated hereinafter as ‘the interspace’.
Such conveyor belts are used for transporting fragile or dusty products or materials, whereby the housing will ensure that the environment around the conveyor belt is not fouled, for example by products falling from the conveyor belt onto the ground or by dust originating from the products getting into the environment. This will also contribute to better hygiene.
Such conveyor belts can also be used for hazardous products for example, as possible interaction or contact between the product and the external environment is excluded.
In order to experience the least possible resistance when setting the conveyor belt into motion, the edge of the conveyor belt will be at a certain distance from the housing. This means that there is a certain space or clearance between the edge of the conveyor belt and the housing.
Such known installations also present the disadvantage that products in the vicinity of the edge of the conveyor belt can fall through the aforementioned space, whereby they fall on the base of the housing below the conveyor belt or on the bottom track of the conveyor belt in the interspace between the tracks of the conveyor belt.
This can happen for example by pouring products or materials onto the conveyor belt through an opening provided to this end in the housing.
This not only leads to a loss of products or materials, but it also means that it is necessary to regularly clear the housing from such fouling.
It goes without saying that this is a time-consuming job as the conveyor belt then has to be stopped and the housing has to be opened.
It is also possible that products or materials fall at the location of the drive drum or return drum of the conveyor belt, such that these products or materials can cause faults, blockages and similar of the drums.
The material that gets onto the bottom track can also cause faults or blockages when it falls by the drum due to the movement of the conveyor belt.
Such conveyor belts also have the additional disadvantage that a lot of wear occurs.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a solution to at least one of the aforementioned and other disadvantages.